colbyjack

Draft Day is upon us! Well, almost. Still lurking, still loving the Brewers and the draft, although I must admit I don't know the high schoolers as much as I used to. That's ok, the Brewers don't take them anyway... A few thoughts following their recent history (again, college-centric): If they fall (it always happens, thank you Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, etc.): Liam Peterson, AJ Gracia, Sawyer Strosnider (Strosnider sounds like the most likely to be there, was considered a top 10-15 overall player entering the spring). As it stands: Cade Townsend, Tegan Kuhns, Logan Reddemann. You just gotta believe the Brewers would love to add a power arm to the system given the wealth of bats (and their focus taking them in recent years). A stretch but not ridiculous: Mason Edwards, Gavin Grahovac, Taylor Rabe. Metrically all these guys do things that most can't, and the Brew Crew loves those kind of players. Some guys I like for rounds 2-4: Daniel Cuvet (huge power), Kade Lewis (great pure hitter), Evan Dempsey (2-way guy with ridiculous spin metrics), Carson Tinney (catcher with big offensive upside), Mulivai Levu (pure hitter that squares up the ball and plays really good 1B defense). I can't shake his name: Camden Johnson, 3B, Oklahoma. He's versatile, he's speedy, he's got some pop and he bats left-handed. He played for the CWS champs, Oklahoma, showing a very patient eye while locking down the hot corner. Could play anywhere on the field. Not a ton of power but the profile fits. Heck, OU has a few players I could see the Brewers targeting. I've seen Zion Rose connected to the Brewers, a lot. Love the numbers, and I've seen him play numerous times dating back to his prep days. I don't love the profile, at least not for the first round, but he obviously does a lot of things well and had a really good spring somewhat quietly since the Cardinals vastly underperformed as a team. The "Oh yeah" player: Cole Carlon. Ridiculous metrics on his slider, but he's basically a 2-pitch pitcher. That said, those 2 pitches are REALLY good, but it also creates some reliever risk. That said, big bodied lefties that throw in the upper-90s with a ridiculous breaking ball are hard to pass up (and he does throw a changeup, just not very often). If this were 10 years ago this guy would be talked about as a top 10 pick. Go Brewers.

Kind of weird the game was on Peacock, I can't imagine a ton of people were able to watch it. I shared this on Twitter for those interested, all 18 of Misiorowski's pitches in 55 seconds. Just flat out ridiculous. I agree with the above comment that he and Skenes might be the best pitching prospects in all of baseball at this time next year, if not sooner.

As for Day 3, I'd really like to see Gavin Kilen picked, the SS from Milton. At this point it seems likely he heads to Louisville, but crazier things have happened and the team budgeted their top 10 picks a year ago to save about $1 million. If they do/did the same this year Kilen is the type of player I'd love to see targeted. He too is an undersized middle-of-the-field player with good hard-hit ball data.

I saw some comments wondering about Robert Moore's numbers from last year to this year. He completely changed his approach in an attempt to reduce his strikeouts. He understands the metric side of the game as well as anyone and really made it a point to stop chasing as much. This led to a drop in power and overall production but the K:BB evened out in the process. I watched him play recently at the Stillwater Regional and you could tell the difference, and he was still impacting the baseball hard. I've seen him play at various times of his career, from when he was 14-15 years old to the summer after his junior year when he was 16 to his first summer in the Northwoods League. Despite his smaller size he has always impacted the ball hard. He reminds me of someone like Francisco Lindor in that regard, or Corbin Carroll, a top prospect in the Dbacks system. I'm not comparing them as prospects only comparing how consistently well they square up the baseball despite being smaller players. Moore is truly a creative wizard defensively and only played 2B in deference to Jalen Battles, Moore's arm isn't ideal for shortstop but he's so dang quick with both his feet and hands it makes up for a lot of arm strength deficiencies. You need to see him play and you'll see what I'm talking about. It's a special defensive profile. But his 16 bombs weren't like the random year Jim Gantner hit something like 11 home runs as a big league – it wasn't a fluke. That power is there and it's legit. It's not home run derby power but he knows how to square up a baseball and drive it. He has the baseball confidence to back it up and not surprisingly was nicknamed "Big Game Bob." I prefer his #BobMoore hashtag nickname even better. There is no other player in this draft that I have confidently felt would be a big leaguer. If you're interested, read my story on him from 2 summers ago which includes some video from that day: https://thegrindbaseball.com/2020/10/07/from-hogs-to-honkers-moore-excels/

Anyone know who the likely starters would be for the next 2 games (Sat/Sun) for the T-Rats? Thanks.

No, I never saw any of those three guys. They all obviously sound exciting for different reasons. I do really like their first two picks in Frelick and Black. Those guys combine tools with performance, especially Frelick. I have seen Binelas and Raabe quite a bit in their careers, and got a look at Ethan Murray last spring before the season was shut down. Raabe is a base hit machine but he's going to have to keep hitting to advance as his other tools are a little suspect. Murray has some definite upside but I'm not sure how much he'll do with the bat. He could have some power but I think he's going to be prone to strikeouts which will limit the upside. Binelas is a special hitter when he's right but he's streaky. He actually fits the team's organizational needs perfectly and could continue to play both third and first base. I like the pick of Russell Smith too, but I have only seen him once I think and that was a few years ago.

Not surprising that the Brewers saved almost exactly $1 million on their top 10 round picks. $865,000 of that went to Vire, Low and Avina. Did we ever hear the signing bonus for Moore? That might have accounted for that extra $135,000. I can almost guarantee you they initially offered Riggio that $1 million and thought he would take it. If I had to further speculate, Holton and Rogers were longer-shot backup plans if Riggio didn't sign. This series of events didn't happen by accident. And if any of those guys bite on the $1 million bonus we don't have anyone else from that group, including Vire, Low and Avina. I've seen all three of Holton, Rogers and Riggio at some point during their prep careers and they're legit. That also means they could make a lot more money coming out of college. If you're disappointed they didn't sign you should probably also be disappointed we didn't draft them in the top 3 rounds and give them money more in line with their talent because they each were deserving of that. The Brewers always take a few shots on players knowing it's unlikely they sign and the same is true for each of the other 29 teams out there. I don't understand why they even bothered with Mendez. He's 28. He should have been a non-drafted FA. Something happened there and I feel more bad for the player than the Brew Crew as I have a feeling something popped up on his medical like MillerParkSouth guessed. If he got more than $50,000 I would have been surprised.

Simple question: I live outside of Milwaukee – Is Spectrum, either via cable or their app on Roku, the only way to get FS Wisconsin? Thanks!

Toby, nice job with that aggregate top prospect list. It looks like it could be the Brewers drafting effort. I see Gunnar Henderson's name mentioned a few times/places. He's a guy that is creeping up a little as we approach the draft so I would be a little surprised if he got to #28. If he's there and they take him that's an exciting pick. Callihan has a lot of Brett Lawrie qualities. An offense-first player with enough veratility to play a few different positions, partly because he can but also partly because he doesn't really stand out at any one spot. like Lawrie, he could catch, but I think you put him at 2B/3B and let his bat carry him as quickly as it can. Here are some names I like, a lot of them aren't necessarily in the #28 range but with the gap until their next pick I could see them taking someone they really like that they know won't fall until their next pick: College: Ryan Garcia, RHP, UCLA – 4-pitch mix, can really pitch, FB sits 89-93 Ryan Jensen, RHP, Fresno State – similar to Corbin Burnes as a similar stage, throws low/mid-90s, touches higher, sharp breaking ball, really improved Matt Wallner, OF, Southern Miss - big, physical LHH, prototype RF with big arm, power, turned it on lately, very produtive 3-year career Greg Jones, SS, UNCW - quick-twitch SS, premium athlete, really fast, 1st-step quickness, good glove, range, 5-tool MIF Aaron Schunk, 3B, Georgia - UGA's 3B & closer, can throw low/mid-90s, impacts the ball hard, big physical build, plays 3B well High School: Tre Fletcher, OF, ME - re-classified to 2019 from 2020 class this spring, big, strong, physical, 5-tool talent, scouts trying to catch up on him JJ Goss, RHP, TX - low/mid-90s, can touch higher, high-spin breaking ball, loose and lanky, projectable Anthony Volpe, SS, NJ - gamer-type, hard-nosed, good not great tools, knows how to hit/play the game, will be a star at Vanderbilt if he gets there Tyler Callihan, IF/C, FL - mentioned above Matthew Lugo, SS, PR - loose and rangy SS from Puerto Rico, can impact the ball, still filling out, looks the part, will get bigger

That's awesome you guys are still playing softball. I'll need an email as I have the vector artwork (I created the logo).

I agree with the overall assessment that I'm a little surprised to get a multiple-player return for Broxton, and while the Mets aren't exactly giving away premium, top prospects, there could be a serviceable major league or two among the three players. Wahl I remember well when he pitched at Ole Miss as a big-bodied hurler, although it's not especially encouraging that a college arm hasn't made much of an impact in the big leagues at 26-27 years old. I had the opportunity to see Adam Hill in person last March against Brady Singer and the Florida Gators. I wasn't blown away with what I saw but he was solid 1-2 times through the Gators lineup. His stuff didn't stand out but he certainly had a knack for missing bats, which usually points to a greater extension, higher spin rate and/or some other quality a pitcher possesses outside of one's pure stuff. I make note of that in the report I filed with video: Hill entered his game against the Florida Gators second in the nation in strikeouts with 43, recording those in just 23 innings of work while also allowing only seven walks and nine base hits. He did however have a 3.91 ERA, which suggests some big innings, not to mention big hits, and considering he had given up three home runs of those nine hits that would seem to be the case. He certainly looks the part of a staff ace, with a listed 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame, and it’s well-proportioned strength throughout. His delivery is clean and repeatable and he does a nice job maintaining his arm speed on his secondary pitches. By the fifth inning, when his velocity dropped a couple of ticks, it looked as though his arm may have dropped a little as well, spending most of the game throwing from a traditional three-quarters delivery. In the first inning he came out pumping fastballs, registering a couple of 94’s and 95’s but sitting for the most part right at 93 mph. The pitch has some late life at times, but he does elevate the pitch frequently, of which it can straighten out. He extends well out front, with his TrackMan readings being fairly true to his 6-foot-5 stature, but it did seem to cause his fastball to play up a little. The pitch sat in the 91-93 mph range for his first four innings of work but was down to 89-91 in the fifth inning, working 4 2/3 innings in this game against the No. 1 team in the nation, not to mention the defending national champions. His breaking ball was inconsistent, thrown like a curveball but acting like a slider at times. It was at its best when thrown in the low-80s, right in the 81-83 mph range, and had a shorter but sharp break to it. When thrown in the upper-70s it acted more as a get-me-over pitch he could drop in for strikes to keep hitters’ timing off-set from his fastball velocity. His change was thrown at 84-85 mph and didn’t really change much, more of a true slow ball than a pull-the-string variety without much fading movement, although his arm speed was replicated well. Despite giving up five walks in 4 2/3 innings he was always around the zone and didn’t battle with control issues, staying composed and focused on the mound. Two of the three runs he allowed came across to score after he had left the ballgame in a 7-3 loss to Florida, and he allowed only three base hits. Hill did strike out six, as he continued to miss bats thanks to his fastball and extension, and none of the contact he allowed was particularly hard. However, he frequently was out of sync, and his drop in velocity in the fifth is of concern considering that he had sat in the 91-94 mph range, and maintained that velocity, in every start he made this year so far leading up to this one.

They're different kind of athletes, as Schnell is more tall and slender with what I would call more 'graceful' actions, while Trout was and always has been built like a Mack truck, defined more by his high motor and energy than the ease of his actions. As far as them just scraping the surface, yes, that is what Schnell is all about, and his game has come together pretty rapidly. Even if the Brewers don't take him with their 1st rounder don't be surprised if someone else does take him right around that pick.

I had the chance to see Kelenic a couple of weekends ago. If you're interesting in reading my report on him and watching the video I took, check this link (he's really, really good, and it's too bad the one year we don't pick in the top 10 he's available): https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=15175 We also posted a mock draft last week if you're interested in seeing that. We had the Brewers taking Logan Gilbert, although we've heard the same thing as most everyone else in that they're in on everyone: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=15176 Jonathan India won't fall to the Brewers pick. He could go in the top 5-10 range now. And don't judge Trevor Larnach on the lack of production prior to this year, the dude is legit. His tools have long been known and he's finally living up to those tools by the numbers he's posting. See Beer is one of the most discussed players I have encountered. I have compared him to a young Ben Grieve before given his tall, angular build, lack of a defensive profile, ability to take pitches and draw walks combined with the power ability. It's a difficult profile because he really doesn't offer much other than the bat, and he may not hit more than .250-.270, but he's going to hit bombs. Everyone has their favorites and at some point I hope to share a few more of my own. I've been on a pretty good run lately picking some of the Brewers' early picks, including Hiura, Erceg and Cody Ponce, although I openly admit I don't/didn't have any inside knowledge to make those picks. Obviously picking in the 20's makes projections more difficult, but one player I really like, and most don't have him evaluated as being taken as high as No. 21, is Nick Schnell, a prep outfielder from Indiana. To give a sneak peak, here's a detailed report that will be filed on Schnell on the PG site tomorrow, but David Rawnsley sums up his talents perfectly (sounds a lot like a young Christian Yelich): NICHOLAS SCHNELL Height/Weight: 6-2/180 Bats/Throws: L/R Birthdate: March 27, 2000 High School: Roncalli HS Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind. Travel Team: Indiana Bulls Commitment: Louisville Projected Draft Round: 1C-2 The scouting term "projectable" is used the vast majority of the time with pitchers and probably appropriately. Young pitchers with right combination of physique and relative maturity are just going to get better and history has proven that out. Since projecting a position player has much more to do with the ability to hit rather than other tools, and hitting is notoriously hard to project, the term simply isn't used nearly as much. Nicholas Schnell is an exception to that and he's continuing to prove that this spring by the amount of improvement he's shown just between last summer and this spring, specifically in the strength in his swing and how the ball is carrying off his bat. Not to mention the improvement in his draft stock. Schnell was listed at 6-foot -2, 180-pounds last summer and this scout's notes at one event specifically say " Noticeably more slender/less physically mature than most peers." Schnell is a bit young for the 2018 class, he turned 18 in late March, but looks far younger physically. Yet he was good enough last summer, with five tools showing strongly, that he was selected a Perfect Game All-American. Schnell's left handed swing has some aspects that scout's pick on, he loads deep and barred creating extra length and he often lags his barrel through the zone on pitches he could turn on with more core and lower body use to drive his bat speed. But the results speak for themselves. Last summer, Schnell showed advanced contact ability and the ball come off his barrel hard with gap power and occasional lift when he did get turned. This spring, as he gets stronger and more physically mature, the ball is rocketing off his barrel differently, even when the barrel lag is present and the ball is going to left centerfield. It's the difference between eight months of getting stronger and leaves scouts thinking about what happens if Schnell fills out to 6-foot-2, 195 to 200-pounds. The rest of Schnell's tools are very high level. He's a 6.6 runner in the sixty, speed that is likely to maintain itself as he grows stronger. He threw 95 mph in drills at the 2017 PG National Showcase and is a low 90's thrower off the mound. Schnell also shows instincts in the outfield and will likely be able to play all three outfield positions without handicap. Right now Schnell looks more like a 30-45 pick on day 1 of the draft that a true first rounder. But due to that remaining projection, he would be on a short list to be a June 4th surprise and move up to the right team.

Does anyone know where I could find a Kareem Abdul Jabbar Milwaukee Bucks jersey? I know Mitchell & Ness made them at one point in time, but they're not currently in production from what I can tell. I've done some Google searches and have looked on ebay. I would prefer to avoid the overseas replicas. Thanks in advance.

I too don't see the point of piling on HH. As rickh150 alluded to, IMO he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

I thought the same thing last year, but counting on Montgomery to be a regular contributor doesn't seem to be a wise course of action. Although I don't suspect running back will be anywhere close to one of the team's priorities this offseason.

Nate, Steven Gingery is probably a better comp to Capuano given the changeup and overall lack of one dominant pitch as both are/were more 'sum of their parts' type of hurlers (Marco Gonzales and Sean Gilmartin were much more Capuano-esque when they were taken where they were in the draft in recent years). Cate's curveball gives him a legit out pitch and more of a power pitcher profile to go along with his low-90s fastball. A good comp for Cate really doesn't come to mind at this point in time, but he reminds me more of some prep lefties that went early in the draft in recent years like DL Hall, Kolby Allard and Rob Kaminsky. Beer is an interesting prospect for the reasons you pointed our LouisEly. I think a lot of people are still hung up on his freshman year and what he did, but he's still a pretty good prospect as one that can get on base at a really good clip while hitting for a lot of power. On the low end he's Ben Grieve to me.

The PG draft list is currently 250 names deep, and we also have lists up for 2019 (top 100) and 2020 (top 50) in addition to separate JUCO and college lists. All of this content is available for free between now and the end of the year, so feel free to copy and paste to save for later. Top 250 2018 MLB Draft: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=14735 Top 100 College: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=14734 Top 75 JUCO: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=14738 Top 100 2019 MLB Draft: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=14736 Top 50 2020 MLB Draft: https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=14737 All of our HS rankings are also available for free right now (as is all of our content). Here's the class of 2018, you can toggle between classes, states, etc.: https://www.perfectgame.org/Rankings/Players/NationalRankings.aspx?gyear=2018

As noted, Baker has a huge upside, although his career obviously didn't progress as expected, he was one of the biggest names during the spring of 2012. Here's his draft profile from 2012: Position: RHP Height: 6-3 Weight: 215 Bats/Throws: R/R Birthdate: April 6, 1992 College: Western Nevada College Hometown: Juneau, Alaska Previously Drafted: Never drafted Projected Draft Round: 1, 1S The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Baker has blown up so fast this spring that he easily qualifies as the best rags-to-riches story in this baseball draft—or almost any baseball draft. An unheralded pitcher from Alaska, Baker began the 2012 season as the No. 4 starter in the rotation at the College of Western Nevada, but has been so impressive and so dominating every time out that he has vaulted up draft boards to a point where he is now the No. 1-ranked prospect in this year’s junior college class. He also ranks No. 40 overall, and conceivably could edge his way into the back end of the first round if he performs in tournament competition anything like he has during the regular season. As Western Nevada prepared to play its final series of the Scenic West Conference regular-season schedule against Salt Lake Community College with first place in the league at stake between the two teams, Baker is 11-0, 0.76 in 13 starts with 32 walks and 93 strikeouts in 59 innings. When he previously hooked up this spring on March 31 against Salt Lake, the nation’s No. 8-ranked team, he may have pitched his best game of the season with a 1-0, one-hit shutout. Most of Baker’s early-season outings were abbreviated starts as CWN run-ruled many of its non-conference opponents, but he got consistently better every time out and was thoroughly dominant in an 11-0, five-inning win over Eastern Utah in early March. He allowed two hits, walked none and struck out eight, and it was that outing that tipped off scouts that Baker may be something special for this year’s draft. D.J. Whittemore, who has gone 294-119 in six-plus years as head coach at Western Nevada, confirmed as much when he said it was the single-best, most-dominating performance he had ever seen by a junior-college pitcher. Baker’s fastball topped out at 96 mph that day, and he complemented it with two dominant breaking balls—an 86-mph slider with explosive lateral movement and a hard, downer curve at 83. Unlike in a couple of previous outings, when he struggled to throw strikes consistently, Baker had precise command of all three pitches throughout. His fastball has since peaked at 97 mph and has command has become increasingly refined with every outing. The improvement that Baker has shown in his brief time at Western Nevada has been dramatic as he enrolled at the school last fall with an above-average breaking ball and some tilt to his delivery, but with a fastball that ranged only from 87 to 90 mph. By adding 15-20 pounds to his frame by working hard in the weight room and dedicating himself to his craft, Baker was in the best shape of his life to start the 2012 season. His side work with Wildcats pitching coach Jeremy Beard that was aimed at streamlining his mechanics was also pivotal in his dramatic turnaround as he added 6-8 mph to his fastball and more power to his breaking stuff. By mid-season, he was showcasing scouts three dominant pitches. In addition to his vastly superior stuff, Baker generates excellent deception on his pitches as he hides the ball well, making it difficult to pick up as it gets on hitters so quickly. If anything that he needs to continue to work on, it’s the refinement of his command and the development of a changeup. Baker was a virtual unknown coming out of Juneau-Douglas High in Juneau, Alaska, despite leading his school to state titles as both a sophomore and senior. He went 6-1, 1.97 overall and threw a complete-game win in the championship game in 2010, but was generally better known for his hitting exploits at the time. Following his senior year in 2010, Baker spent the summer playing for the Seattle-based En Fuego, an elite-level travel team. His performance for that club led to his signing on with nearby Tacoma Community College, where he worked primarily as a No. 3 starter as a freshman and went an unspectacular 3-3, 3.47. He enjoyed modest success, walking too many batters but averaging a strikeout per inning while limiting hitters to a sub-.200 average. Looking for an opportunity to prove himself as a sophomore against superior competition, Baker had his high-school coach explore a few options and it was determined that Western Nevada would be a good fit. Baker then contacted Whittemore last August and subsequently elected to transfer, even though he knew by that late date there were no remaining scholarships available at Western Nevada. While he is paying his own way through school this year, Baker’s gamble should pay off handsomely in June when he could land in the first round of the draft and be rewarded with a million-dollar signing bonus.

So many to choose from but I'm going with Jim Tatum. He, John Jaha and Dave Nilsson moved up together and Tatum put up some big numbers at both El Paso and Denver in the early 90s. If I remember correctly the Rockies took him in the expansion draft and I don't recall what happened to him after that (fully recognizing I could easily look it up), but I seem to remember him going overseas to play. For the poster who brought it up, Angel Salome was always jacked up.

At first I thought the concept was very cool. However, as a result AJ Bombers, which was arguably the best (or at least one of the best) burgers in the city became painfully mediocre. For as great as I like the idea, that idea can't be forced to become fast food, otherwise it will (and it did). (You used to be able to get AJ's burgers in the one outdoor yet still-covered location down the first base line and at that point in time they were still good. Putting them in every other concession stand made them not so good.) The craft beer bar had a great selection, but the prices were far too high, the bar itself on bigger game days created too much of a traffic logjam and it forced really good beers, like Lakefront's Riverwest Stein, to suddenly be found in only one location as opposed to several. I'm guessing Miller had something to do with that, as all of the bars that previously had Stein among a few other local (and non-local) favorites all of the sudden were pouring Miller-based products, the ones they claim are craft brews, which unfortunately includes Leinenkugel's (decent beer, but far from a craft brew). And if I had to guess the Brewers and the ownership group that owns AJ Bombers, Zaffiros pizza the Smoke Shack and the taco joint, not to mention MillerCoors, are pretty happy with what they came up with. Unfortunately it monopolized originality by trying to be original, if that makes sense. All in my humble opinion of course, and while a very clever idea and overall execution, I was pretty disappointed with the results based on my previous ballpark experiences and have even considered changing my season ticket package as a result.

Hiura can't play SS or 3B. 2B might be a stretch to some people, but he's a bat-first prospect, and that IMO is not a bad thing (quite the opposite). And Jeff Kent is probably the most apt comparison I can think of. Or Rogers Hornsby...Honus Wagner is probably a little too ambitious .

I've been told there could be another familiar face/name added to the bullpen soon.

Jarred Kelenic is an incredible player. I actually think he could be in play for the No. 1 overall pick next year. I saw him last February, when he was a high school sophomore, and he took one of the best, if not the best, batting practices I have ever seen (please keep in mind that I have seen a lot of batting practices), and he was a high school sophomore at the time. After that he tried to talk his coach into letting him get another round as he was disappointed with the results, which is crazy. He's incredibly hard working and he is a true 5-tool player, with very good time speed and a strong outfield arm. However, the Brewers won't have a chance to take him, unless one of them tanks significantly and I would prefer that neither happens. If you're interested we've had a top 100 list up for 2018 since last November and we will be updating it another month or so once we've had a chance to see the top high school players again at several of our top events. https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=13360

I realize this thread is more about the trades he made, but Melvin was the GM for 2 playoff appearances. Considering the Brewers have only 2 other playoff appearances in their history I think that's a point that far too frequently goes overlooked.